Let Love In
by amyyrileyy
Summary: Completely AU. Ray & Neela story. Does move a bit slow, but it's my first try so give it a chance.
1. Chapter 1

Let Love In 

**Chapter 1**

It was only quarter to five in the morning, but the streets of Chicago were already bustling with activity. People heading off to work, school, even daycare made the city quite the crowded place. Sidewalks were overflowing, streets were jam packed with cars, and El seemed to be crowded with more people than usual.

Battling against the strong winter winds, a young woman made her way to work in the early hours of the day. That woman was Neela Rasogtra and she was a twenty-two year old med student at County Hospital in Chicago.

Walking into the ER, Neela shivered and headed into the lounge where she found her best friend, fellow med student and former nurse, Abby Lockhart, pouring two cups of fresh coffee. She turned around and handed a cup to Neela.

"You know I love you, right?" Neela smiled.

"I figured you'd need it." Abby replied.

"You were right. Ray and his band mates were over last night. I feel like I didn't sleep at all." She explained. "Are you just getting off?"

"Two more hours. Graveyard shift sucks. It was so dead last night." Abby said, sitting down on the couch.

"Great, the calm before the storm. This is going to be one busy day." Neela yawned, taking a seat next to Abby and resting her head on her shoulder. "Think they'd notice if I didn't go out there?"

"It's Morris. Do you really need an answer for that?" Abby laughed.

"Very true." Abby sighed.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, both thinking about the same thing but not sure how to bring it up.

"Neela? Can I ask you a question?" Abby finally broke the silence.

"Sure, what's up?" Neela looked up at the brown-haired women.

"Why haven't you told Ray?"

Ray Barnett was Neela's twenty-two year old roommate. He was also a med student at County.

Neela sighed. She knew this would come up sooner or later. She had tried to keep this to herself for a while now, but Abby knew her too well.

"I don't know, Abby. I mean, I'm scared of it."

"Scared?" Abby looked confused.

"Yeah." Neela readjusted herself so she was facing Abby. "I've never, _ever_ felt like this before. It's scary. I'm not sure what to do."

"Well, talking to him would be a start." Abby joked.

Neela looked down at her hands. "What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if all he sees me as is his roommate?"

"Neela. Look at me." Abby took her hands in hers. "I've seen the way he looks at you. He has feelings for you. I've seen how his eyes light up when you walk in the room, how he blushes when he catches himself checking you out, and how he can't think straight or form coherent sentences when you're around. You can't be scared of it, Neela. He isn't going to say anything; he has no idea what you're feeling. You guys belong together. You need to tell him."

"I know, Abby, I know. I just don't know how to." Neela shook her head.

"Okay, what time are you off today?"

"Two."  
"All right. I know Ray's got the graveyard shift tonight, so he's probably going to be sitting at home, watching TV, all day." Abby told her. "Call him, and see if he wants to go out, for dinner or something casual. It will be easier to break it to him in a public place where you know he won't go crazy."

"I don't know, Abby…" Neela looked very unsure of herself.

"No, Neela, if you don't tell him yourself, I'm going to. I can't sit back and watch my best friend miss the perfect opportunity to get a great guy."

Neela didn't respond. She just moved her head to avoid Abby's gaze, but in a typical Abby fashion, she lowered her head further to keep her gaze.

"Neela? What's wrong?"

"That's just it. He is a great guy, who deserves someone great. Not someone like me." She said quietly.

Abby was shocked. "Honey? What do you mean?"

"Abby, look at all his groupies. They're beautiful and sexy, they know how to dress just right, they always know what to say… I could never compare to them." Neela responded.

Abby knew that she didn't know everything about Neela, but she never thought she was so self-conscious.

"Neel, don't even think that." Abby pulled the crying girl into her arms and stroked her hair. "You are more beautiful than any of those girls. Sure, you may not dress like them, but that doesn't make you less attractive. Those girls mean nothing to Ray, trust me on that one. I've heard his stories. As for always knowing what to say? I'd say you got that down pat. I mean, I've seen you flirting with some guys, whether you were joking or not. You've got that, and if you don't believe me, ask Pratt. Some of the things he has heard you say make him want, well… I'm not going to go into details on it."

"Abby, it's not just that…" Neela squeezed her eyes shut, hoping this was a dream and she wasn't about to admit her biggest secret. "There's something else, something I've never told anyone before."

"Neela, you're starting to scare me, what is it?" Abby questioned.

Neela opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's going to sound ridiculous, but… I'veneversleptwithanyonebefore." Neela said so quickly that all her words ran together.

"What? You've never?" Abby was in awe. "But what about those things…?"

"I was just going along with everyone else. I didn't want anyone to know. My parents raised me very religiously. I was barely allowed to date, let alone anything else. When I came here, I was so ashamed that I ended all my relationships before they got that serious. I'm sorry." She explained.

"Why are you sorry?" Abby looked down at her and wiped away the fallen tears. "This isn't a bad thing, you know."

"Yes, it is." Neela said. "Ray has been with a bunch of girls; he's far more experienced than I am. Why would he even want to waste his time with me?"

"Neela!" Abby exclaimed. "Take that back right now! You know it isn't true."

"Yes, it is, Abby. I'm nothing compared to any of those girls."

"Neela, you are not nothing. You are the most beautiful, sensitive, caring, person I've ever known. You are an amazing person and Ray sees that. He isn't going to push you to do anything you aren't ready to do." Abby said. "You need to talk to him. Tonight."

"Abby –." Neela started to protest.

"No, you are going to do it, even if I have to dial the phone myself and drag you to that restaurant."

Neela didn't say anything.

"Please, Neela?" Abby's voice grew softer. "Please?"

Neela hesitantly sat up. She nodded her head slightly. "Okay, I will. I'll call him before you leave."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." Neela smiled as they linked their pinkies together.

"Thank you, Neela." Abby pulled the girl into her arms again and hugged her tightly. "I just want you to be happy."

"I know, Abby, and thank _you_." Neela sighed and stood up. "You think Morris is wondering where we are yet?"

Looking down at her watch, Abby realized the two girls had been talking for just over an hour.

"Wow, time flies. You only have forty-five minutes before I leave. Let's go see if it is still dead out there."

Taking Abby's hand in hers, she nodded her head in agreement. "I love you, Abby."

"I love you, too, Neela."

The two women linked their arms and walked out of the lounge.

"Where have you two been?!" Morris asked, trying to sound stern.

"Shut up, Morris." They said in unison as they walked past him to find some charts.

Morris sighed and walked away. No one ever respected him, and he was the Chief Resident of the ER!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Neela, there's no one around and my shift ends in fifteen minutes. Do it now." Abby told her.

They had been wandering around the ER for the last half hour, talking and trying to not get run over by the others, who were placing a fierce game of wheelchair soccer. Needless to say, there wasn't a single patient around.

With a frustrated sigh, Neela gave up. "Fine! Make sure no one comes by."

Abby nodded her head and smiled.

Neela walked over to the counter, picked up the phone and dialed home.

"Hello?" A sleepy voice answered the phone.

"Hey, Ray. It's Neela. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I got up a little while ago. What's up?" He replied.

"Um, I was wondering… uh…" Neela struggled with her words.

"Neela?" Ray prompted.

"Sorry, Abby was distracting me." She lied. "I was wondering if you would maybe want to go out to eat tonight?"

"Sure. You wanna go to Ike's after your shift?" Ray suggested.

"Make it three o'clock and it's a deal." Neela replied, feeling a little bit more confident in herself.

"All right. It's a date." He said. "I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye." Neela hung up the phone. Feeling as though she was on cloud nine, she replayed what had just happened. "It's a date." She repeated with a smile.

"Neela! Earth to Neela! You in there?" Abby's voice broke into her daydream.

"Huh? Oh, sorry… did you say something?" Neela snapped back into reality.

"What did he say?" Abby asked.

"It's a date." Neela smiled.

"What?!" Abby exclaimed.

"That's what he said. He suggested Ike's after my shift, and I said make it three and it's a deal. That's when he said 'it's a date'."

"Ahhh!!" Abby squealed, jumping up and down. "I'm so happy for you!"

Neela laughed at her friend's ridiculousness, but quickly joined in, ecstatic about what had just happened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Girls, what is going on?" Pratt had left the game and walked over to the two.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Neela replied with a smile.

"Yeah, nothing important." Abby added but couldn't contain her laughter.

"Was that really necessary?" Morris asked, rubbing his ear.

"Yes, it was." Abby replied.

"Aren't you off?" Pratt asked Abby.

She looked down at her watch and realized that it was almost ten past seven. "Oh, yeah, I am. I'm going. Neela, call me as soon as you get out. We have more to talk about before… you know."

"I will." Neela nodded her head and watched Abby head to the lounge to gather her things before heading home.

"Is anyone else completely confused?" Morris asked.

"They're girls, man. What do you expect?" Pratt shook his head, laughing, and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: So, I didn't do the whole disclaimer thing for the earlier chapters. My mistake. I don't own ER or any of the characters. Although, I wouldn't mind Shane West. ;) Anyways, here's chapter three and thanks for all of the reviews! I really appreciate them. I have a few more chapters written, but I haven't quite figured out a way to end it yet. Sorry if it drags, there really isn't much of a plot. Just some Ray/Neela time.  Again, thanks!**

**Chapter Three**

Six hours later, the ER was still slow. There hadn't been one trauma, just a case of the flu and a broken ankle so far and the staff was getting antsy.

"All right. That's it. I'm sending people home." Morris announced. "Sam, send a few nurses home. Rasogtra, since I can't take any more of your peppiness, you're free, too."

Neela didn't even wait for Morris to finish talking before she took off running down the hall to the lounge. Once inside, she threw her stuff into her locker and pulled out her coat. After quickly bundling herself up, she grabbed her purse and ran out the door, leaving the remaining staff of the ER bewildered.

As she walked to the El stop, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Abby's number.

"Hey, Morris let me go early." She said.

"Okay, come on over. We have some work to do."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Neela told her as she ran down the stairs, just making it onto the train as the doors were shutting.

Just as she had said, twenty minutes later, Neela was walking down the hall to Abby's apartment. When she reached the door, she let herself in. She never knocked anymore, and Abby never knocked at her place.

"Abby?" She called out as she shut the door.

"In my room!"

Neela walked down the hall into Abby's room and stopped at the sight of it. When she had talked to Abby a couple hours earlier, she didn't realize the mess she had made was _this_ big.

"I told you it got a little hectic. I've been trying to put together some great outfits." Abby laughed.

"I see. What have we got?" Neela sat down on Abby's queen size bed and surveyed the room. Clothes and shoes were everywhere.

"It's nothing fantastic, but I'm sure it will be different than what you have in your closet."

"That's very true." Neela's closet consisted of mostly jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. Nothing fancy at all. "I am not wearing that orange top, Abby. Don't even try."

"I didn't think you would, but that's okay. The stuff on the bed is the more favorable stuff. See anything that interests you?"

"I'm not sure but I think I'm going to take a shower first. You can keep working, I'll be back soon." Neela walked down the hall and grabbed a towel out of the linen closet, taking it into the bathroom with her.

Back in her room, Abby looked around. She had made a mess, but it was worth it.

Twenty-five minutes later, Neela walked back into the room, wrapped in a towel, her wet hair falling in every direction.

"It's cold. I need some clothes. Let's do this fast." She shivered. Abby nodded and tossed her an old t-shirt. "Thanks."

"Well, we've only got forty-five minutes before you need to go anyway." Abby said. "These are my top three. What do you think?"

"I think I'll probably freeze my bloody ass off in that one." Neela pointed to the brown skirt and pink top. "Besides, I don't think pink is really my color."

"Very true." Abby agreed, throwing that outfit onto the floor. "Try these jeans on." She handed a pair of dark blue, low-rise jeans.

Neela dropped the towel on the floor and quickly pulled the jeans on, not really embarrassed to be seen in only a t-shirt and thong. It was just Abby after all.

"What do you think?" Neela frowned, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't used to seeing herself in such tight jeans.

"Those are perfect. I think they'll be much better than this pair." Abby said, throwing the other pair of jeans into a pile on the floor.

"Are you sure, Abby? I mean, they look kind of tight." Neela was starting to worry.

"Neela, stop. I know it's different, but I mean it when I say those are perfect. They look great." Abby told her. "I just decided that we're going on a shopping spree next week. I'll teach you what else you need to know."

"Thanks, Abby." Neela replied gratefully, turning to face her. "Which top?"

"Okay, this is where it's gunna get tricky. My personal opinion is that you should wear this one, but that's just me." Abby pointed to the black halter and white sweater. "Which do you like better?"

Neela looked at the tops on the bed: a black halter and a white zip-up sweater or a tan V-neck tank top under a white pullover sweater.

"I think I like the black better too." Neela agreed.

"Okay, that's that then." Abby opened one of her drawers and tossed her black strapless bra. "I'm gunna assume you don't carry one of those around with you."

Neela laughed. "No, I definitely don't."

"I have to use the bathroom. You finish getting changed and then we'll work on your hair and such." Abby told her, walking out of the room.

Neela quickly pulled on the black halter but stopped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. The sight shocked her. She looked different and she wasn't sure that it was bad. She definitely saw potential to dress like this more often.

"Hey." Abby appeared in the doorway. "Ready to do your hair?"

"I was thinking about just leaving it down. I remember Ray mentioning that he liked my hair down." Neela said, pulling on the sweater.

"Good idea. Let's just dry it and leave it."

The two girls walked into the bathroom and set to work. Ten minutes later, Abby had just put on the finishing touches. They had decided that there really was no need for any makeup, but ended up agreeing that a small amount of mascara would look nice.

"Okay, let's grab some shoes and we'll be finished." Abby said, leading her back into the bedroom. "I think something simple would be best. Let's see…" She started digging through her closet. "Ah ha!" She stood up and revealed a pair of simple knee-high boots with a three-inch heel. "These are perfect."

Neela slid them on under her jeans and stood up. Her outfit was complete.

"What do you think?" She asked.

Abby just stood there in awe. "Neela… you look beautiful."

"Really?" She blushed.

"Yes, really." Abby smiled. "Ray is going to go crazy when he sees you."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Now, come on. You need to be at the El stop in ten minutes or you'll be late."

They headed out to the door, grabbed their coats and left.

As they waited for the train to arrive, Abby could tell Neela was getting nervous.

"You're going to be fine. I promise, just remember what we talked about. Be honest and it'll be okay." Abby reassured her, taking her hand in hers.

"I know." Neela inhaled deeply as the train pulled to a stop.

"You can do it." Abby told her.

Neela exhaled slowly. "I can do it."

"Are you coming by tonight?" Neela nodded and Abby gave her a quick hug before she jumped on the train. "Good luck!" Abby yelled as the train pulled away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Neela walked into Ike's a little while to find that Ray wasn't there yet. That didn't surprise her since she was still early. After walking around the few people that were in, she quickly grabbed a seat at a table in the corner opposite the door and sat down. Looking around, she was suddenly overcome with a wave of self-consciousness and didn't want to take her coat off. She knew she had to though; otherwise she'd look ever stranger. She placed her purse on the table in front of her and took her coat off. Just as she placed it down next to her, she looked up to see Ray walking over.

"Hey, Neela." Ray said casually sliding into a chair. "How was work?"

"Boring. I spent the first hour in the lounge, doing nothing with Abby and then, we just kind of wandered about. We only had two patients all day. Morris let me and a few other nurses leave early." She replied, not making any eye contact.

"Really? How come I didn't see you at home?" Ray looked confused.

"Oh, I went over to Abby's right after that. We had some… stuff to do." Neela told him.

"Is that Abby's shirt?" He asked, realizing for the first time what she was wearing.

"Um, yeah. Why?"

"No reason, I was just wondering. It doesn't look like something you'd normally wear."

"Yeah I know, Abby has a limited selection." She tried to cover up. "Do you not like it?"

"No, no. I do, you look beautiful." Ray told her.

Neela could feel her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. _"Beautiful. He said I was beautiful."_

"Really?"

"Yeah, you do." He gave her a strange look. "Neela, what's going on?"

Neela sighed and looked around. _Where is that waitress?_

"Neela?" Ray asked again.

"Um…" She couldn't figure out how to tell him, but she knew she couldn't do it here. Not with all these people around. She felt like everyone was staring at her. "I need to tell you something, but not here. You wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure." Ray stood up and pulled his jacket on. He helped Neela into hers and the two of them left the building.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before they reached a small park.

"Wanna sit down?" He suggested.

Neela swallowed hard and nodded. "Sure."

The bench was smaller than it looked and Neela found herself sitting incredibly close to Ray.

"So, what's up?" He asked.

"Okay, um, I don't really know how to say this so I'm gunna try my best and just come out with it." She started.

"Neela -." Ray interrupted.

"No, wait, if I don't say it now, I don't think I'll have the courage to try again." Neela put her hand up. "Ray…" She took a deep breath. "I have feelings for you; more than just roommate feelings. I didn't want to tell you before because I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same way and it would freak you out, but after spending an hour, spilling my guts to Abby this morning, I had to tell you. I didn't think it was fair to keep this secret, even if it ruins everything."

Ray didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, Ray. I shouldn't have told you. I'm just gunna go." She started to stand up but Ray grabbed her hand.

"Neela, wait." He leaned in and gently placed his lips on her. After a few seconds, Ray broke the kiss but didn't move away. "Neel, I should be the one that's sorry. I feel the same way. I have since the first day I met you. I was scared that _you_ didn't feel the same."

"You do?" Neela asked, still on cloud nine from that kiss.

"I do." Ray leaned in and kissed her again, longer this time.

Neela could feel herself melting inside. _"So this is what it feels like."_ She didn't want it to end, but unfortunately, Ray broke it off after a minute.

"Neela?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we go home so we can talk about this some more?" He suggested, standing up.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Okay." She stood up but didn't follow him.

"Neel?" Ray turned around and looked confused. "You okay?"

Neela just stared at Ray for a minute before nodding. "Yeah." She replied with a smile. She caught up with him and slid her hand into his, interlocking their fingers. Neela couldn't stop smiling the whole walk home.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I've got plenty more chapters up with just some everyday Ray/Neela stuff. I didn't really know where I wanted to go with this story but I did come up with an idea and am in the process of writing those chapters currently. Sorry that it's taking so long. This was hard for me to write, being my first attempt at an ER fic and all. I appreciate the comments, and I welcome all the criticism. So, again, thanks to everyone who's been reading! Here's Chapter 5! Hope y'all enjoy it.

**Chapter Five**

Once they were back in their apartment, Ray started to lead her over the couch, so they could talk.

"I just need to use the bathroom really fast, if that's okay?" Neela said before they sat down.

"Yep, I'll be here." He replied with a smile.

She returned the smile and turned towards the bathroom. Once inside, she pulled out her cell phone and sent Abby a text message. Abby knew she disliked text messaging so she would know that it was important to listen to her.

_"Hey Abby, I told him. We're back at the apartment to talk about everything. I'll tell you everything else when I come over tonight. Love you!"_

She flipped her phone shut and put it back in her purse. Looking in the mirror, she made sure her hair and everything was still nice, flushed the toilet and quickly washed off her hands so Ray wouldn't be suspicious.

Back in the living room, Neela sat down on the couch next to him, but not too close. She was still nervous about this whole thing in the first place.

"So, where do we go from here, Ray?" She asked.

"Well, we've both admitted to having feelings for each other, so I guess there's only one question left." He replied.

"What's that?" Neela looked confused.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Neela?" Ray asked.

Neela blushed. "Of course, I will, Ray."

"Good, cause if you rejected me, I might've thought I'd gone crazy." He laughed, taking her hand in his.

"You already are crazy, though." Neela pointed out.

"Me? Crazy? Never…"

"Right, and I'm the Queen of England."

"Are you getting sarcastic with me, young lady?" Ray questioned.

"Me? Sarcastic? Never…" Neela mimicked, followed by a squeal as he pulled her into his lap and started tickling her. "Ray! That's not fair!"

"Oh, I think it's plenty fair." He laughed as he pulled them off the couch and pinned her to the ground.

Neela just continued squirming. It wasn't long before her eyes started watering from laughter.

"Ray… please." She said in between attempts to get away.

Ray laughed and finally stopped, but he didn't move from his spot above her.

"Thank y-." She started but was cut off when Ray leaned down and kissed her.

"Come on, I'm exhausted now. Let's go rest." He got up and pulled Neela to her feet.

Neela hesitated but took his hand and followed him to his bedroom.

An hour or so later, Neela lay awake in Ray's arms, her head resting on his chest. She sighed, knowing she had to tell him but that didn't make it any easier.

"Neela?" Ray's voice interrupted her thoughts. With his eyes still shut, Neela wasn't sure if he was awake or not but when he said her name again, he opened his eyes. "Neel?

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?" He said, propping himself up on this left elbow to look down at her.

"What do you mean? I didn't -." Neela shook her head.

"I know that sigh. It's your worried about something sigh. You can tell me anything, honey. I mean it."

"I need to tell you something else, Ray. Please, don't be mad." She rolled over onto her stomach and looked down at the pillow, feeling her eyes start to water.

"What is it, Neela?" Ray asked, his hazel eyes full of concern.

She took a deep breath and turned her head to face him. "My parents brought me up very religiously, Ray."

"What does -?" He interrupted.

Neela shook her head. "I was forced into being a good, innocent girl. I was barely allowed to date anyone, let alone anything else." She paused, not sure how to tell him. "My mother didn't really teach me anything either, you know, about relationships. When I came here to go to school, I had boyfriends but because I didn't know anything and it scared me, I ended them before they got serious. I think my longest relationship lasted about four months."

"Neela, are you telling me that you've never…" Ray hesitated. He didn't want to make her feel bad about it. "You're a virgin?"

Neela nodded her head silently and Ray saw the tears hitting the pillow hard and fast.

"I'm sorry, Ray. I should have told you before. I understand if you don't want to be with me."

"Neela, Neel, stop. It's okay." He pulled her into his arms. "This isn't a bad thing at all. It just makes me love you even more knowing that you were able to tell me this."

"Really?" She sniffled.

"Really, Neela." He smiled down at her tear-stained face. "We can take this as slow as you want. I'm in no hurry."

Neela didn't respond. Just the look in her eyes and the small smile on her face told Ray everything he needed to know. She closed her eyes and moved closer to him, pulling the blankets up to her chin. _"Perfect. Everything was perfect."_

"_The end of fear is where we begin."_


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So I'm posting two chapters at once since it's moving slowly. They're really just filler chapters. I'm trying to figure out how to end this story. And again, sorry it's moving so slowly. I promise something interesting will happen.

**Chapter Six**

It was almost six thirty when Neela awoke.

"Ray." She whispered into his ear. "You're going to be late."

"I'll call in." He replied without opening his eyes.

"You can't do that. Weaver will have your ass if you miss another shift." Neela rested her chin on his chest. "Besides, I need to get over to Abby's. I'd promised we could have a girls night."

"So, I'm not gunna see you tonight?" Ray finally opened his eyes.

"Ray, you're working all night." Neela laughed. "I'm on at five. I'll see you then."

"Promise?" He asked.

"Promise." Neela smiled.

"Okay, then, I guess I'll have that to look forward too." Ray said, right before kissing her.

Neela broke the kiss a few minutes later, laughing. "Ray! Go!"

"Oh, all right. Have fun at Abby's." He pouted.

"I will. Bye." Neela replied as Ray crawled out of bed.

Once Ray was gone, Neela reluctantly got out of the warm bed. She pulled on the shoes that she was wearing earlier, grabbed her coat and headed to the El station.

Twenty minutes later, she was walking into Abby's apartment.

"Abby?" She called out.

"Be right there!"

Neela made herself comfortable on the couch and flipped on the TV.

"So the popcorn is in the microwave, and I rented us some movies. I'm not sure about drinks now that I think about it. Sam is on her way over right now." Abby said, walking out of her bedroom with two DVDs in her hand. "We got The Descent and The Break Up."

"Well, you already know my choice."

"That's true." Abby laughed. Neela wasn't the biggest fan of horror movies and Abby liked to tease her about it. "We'll just wait for Sam to get here."

"Knock knock." Sam said, walking into the apartment. "The door was open."

"Hey! We were just trying to decide a movie." Abby held up the two DVDs. "The Descent or The Break Up?"

"Mmm… The Break Up." Sam said. "It's definitely not a horror movie night." She gestured to the rain that was starting to fall outside.

"All righty then. The Break Up it is." Abby slid the DVD into the player and pulled the popcorn from the microwave. "Um, we have a few beers in here and, oh, there's soda, too. Want anything?"

"I'll have a beer." Neela told her.

"Yeah, me too." Sam added.

After grabbing three beers and the bowl of popcorn, Abby kicked the fridge door shut and walked over to the couch. Neela had already made herself comfortable at one end of the couch, her feet pulled up underneath her. Sam was at the opposite end with a blanket covering her. Abby handed the girls their beers and settled down in between them. She hit play on the remote and made herself comfortable, using Neela as a pillow.

"Thanks." Neela and Sam said in unison.

Forty-five minutes later, Sam and Abby had fallen asleep. Sam was at one end of the couch with her feet up on the coffee table and her head resting on the armrest, a blanket lying across her legs. Abby was curled up in a ball, sharing a blanket and leaning on Neela, who had her legs pulled up next to her and her head resting on her arm on the armrest.

Staring at the screen, Neela silently watched the movie. It was good, but Neela's mind was elsewhere. She just couldn't stop thinking about Ray. Feeling Abby move, she looked down at her.

"Neela?" Abby opened one eye. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah, you and Sam." Neela replied.

"Oh, sorry. Graveyard shift is catching up with me, although I did sleep most of the time."

"No problem. I was just thinking, I couldn't concentrate on the movie."

"Oh yeah! Tell me what happened today!" Abby sat up a little bit, careful not to wake Sam.

Neela blushed. "Well, we went to Ike's and talked about work a bit, but I felt like everyone was staring at me so we went for a walk."

"And…?" Abby smiled.

"And we found a bench to sit on. I told him about my feelings for him and he… kissed me."

"Ahhh!!" Abby squealed. "Are you serious?"

Sam shifted at the other end of the couch, waking up slightly.

Neela nodded. "Yeah, and then he said he felt the same way so we went back to our apartment to talk some more. That's when I sent you that text. He asked me to be his girlfriend and everything. Then, we went and took a nap together before he had to work."

"That's so awesome! Did you tell him about, you know?" Abby asked, realizing that Sam had woken up completely now.

"Hey, did I fall asleep?" She asked sleepily.

"Yeah, but so did I." Abby laughed.

"What time is it?"

"Almost eight." Neela replied.

Sam put her head back on the armrest and closed her eyes. "I have to work in a couple hours. It's gunna be so boring."

"Last night was dead." Abby told her. "I slept for most of the night."

"Yeah, today was very busy either. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"I hope so. So, what did I interrupt? You guys looked very into the conversation about Neela and some guy?"

"Oh, it was nothing." Neela told her.

"Don't hide it, Neela. The whole ER is going to know by morning anyways." Abby pointed out.

"What are you talking about, Abby?" Sam was quite confused.

"Well, I, uh, me and –." Neela struggled with her words.

"Neela and Ray finally hooked up." Abby said bluntly.

"Abby!" Neela exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Sam sat up. "That's awesome! I'm so happy for you guys. I knew you'd end up together eventually."

Neela started blushing again. "Thanks."

An hour later, Sam was leaving the apartment and Neela was the one sleeping on the couch.

Yawning, Abby walked back over to the couch and covered Neela up with a blanket. She knew she had to work at five and didn't want her to be late because she was too cold to sleep.

"Goodnight, Abby." Neela said softly, not moving an inch.

"Goodnight, Neela. Don't oversleep."

"Mmm." Neela moaned and rolled over.

Abby silently laughed and walked down the hall to her bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

A few hours later, Neela's cell phone was vibrating against the coffee table. She groaned and rolled over. It was only three thirty in the morning. Her alarm wasn't set to wake her up for another half hour, even though Abby's apartment was closer to the hospital than hers. Neela grabbed her phone and looked at the screen, squinting her eyes to read it. She frowned when she saw it was the hospital calling. She wasn't late and hadn't heard her pager go off. Why would they be calling her now? She flipped her phone open and put it up to her ear, dropping her head back into the pillow.

"Hello?"

"Hey Neela." It was Ray.

"Ray? What are you doing calling me this early?" Neela covered her mouth with her free hand and yawned.

"Well, I figured you'd need a wakeup call after your girls night." He told her. "And I missed you."

Neela could feel herself blushing. "Thanks."

"Hey, I have to run. There's a trauma coming in, but can you meet me for coffee before your shift?"

"Yeah." Neela yawned again. "I'll see you then."

"Go back to sleep, honey." Ray laughed.

"Mmhmm."

And with that, Ray hung up the phone. Neela let her arm fall from where it rested so that it dangled off the couch and dropped her phone on the floor. Within seconds, she was asleep again.

Trudging through the snow, Neela finally made it to the entrance of the emergency room. Stomping her feet and wiping snow out of her hair, she headed towards the admit desk, where she saw Ray sitting with Sam, Chuny and Jerry.

"Hi." She greeted him with a smile.

"Hi." Ray replied, leaning over the desk to kiss her gently, not caring that the other three were watching happily. Noticing that her nose was still red, he smiled. "Cold?"

"Little bit. It's snowing again."

"Um, Neela? It's Chicago. That happens quite often." Ray teased, walking around the counter.

"Shut up." Neela pouted.

"C'mon. Let's go get that coffee." Ray said, taking her hand as they headed towards the doctor's lounge.

"They're so cute." Sam smiled.

"It's about time they finally figured it out." Chuny agreed.

"I know, but have you ever seen Neela happier? She's practically glowing." Sam said.

"Aww, young lovers." Jerry laughed.

In the lounge, Ray was pulling his coat out of his opened locker. "Are you finished at two today?"

"Yeah, I got the easy shift again."

"It's been dead for the last two hours." Ray said, leading her out of the lounge toward the entrance. "How was Abby's?"

"Good. We watched 'The Break Up'. Well, some of it. Abby and Sam fell asleep not long into it." Neela told him.

"I guess it wasn't too good of a movie then?"

"Sort of. It had its' ups and downs."

"Well, I bought 'The Descent' a couple days ago. I know how much you hate scary movies, but I thought I'd offer since we'd already be at home and everything so you wouldn't have to go outside in the dark afterwards." Ray rambled.

"Ray, you're rambling." Neela smiled.

"Sorry. I can watch it another night, it doesn't matter."

"I'd love to watch it with you." She stood up on her tiptoes and put her arms around his neck.

"Are you sure? Cause you don't have to -." Ray was cut off when Neela planted her lips on his. He was surprised. Neela wasn't one for public displays of affection and they weren't even two feet into the ambulance bay.

"Morning Ray." Luka walked by, shaking his head. _"Ray and his groupies. I don't know how he does it. Wait a second…"_ Luka did a double take when he recognized the girl making out with Ray. "Neela?"

Neela broke the kiss and looked down, not turning around. "Morning, Dr. Kovac."

"Well, I'll be damned." Luka laughed. "Sorry, continue. I'll leave you two alone." He shook his head, walking into the ER. "Was I the only one out of the loop?!" He exclaimed.

Upon hearing Luka ask that, Ray and Neela burst out laughing.

"Well, that's a way to start the day." Ray stated.

Ray smiled. "Well, that's a way to start the day."

Neela just blushed. "So, how about that coffee?"

"C'mon. I'm sure Luka isn't expecting you for a little while longer." Ray slung his arm around her shoulder and then headed across the street to Ike's.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Thanks for the reviews! Does anyone else think that the relationship between Doug & Carol is very similar to that of Ray & Neela's? I was watching reruns earlier and noticed that. Also, Susan & Mark? The "You're my best friend." reminds me of Ray & Neela, too. I'm think I'm starting to sense a pattern. Hmm, anyways, here's chapter 8. Complete & total filler. I just couldn't figure out what to write.

**Chapter Eight**

Hours later, Neela was finally on her way home. There had been a seven-car pileup on the highway, all major traumas, so Neela was forced to stay an extra hour and a half. It was just after four o'clock when Luka told Neela to leave.

"You've been here long enough, Neela. You did your share. Go on home. Thanks for staying." He said.

"Thanks so much, Dr. Kovac." Neela sighed and headed towards the doctor's lounge.

"Neela?" He called after her.

"Yeah?" She stopped walking and turned to face him.

"It's Luka."

Neela just smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Back at the apartment, Ray was sitting on the couch with his guitar. He had slept for a good four hours when he got home and was wide-awake now.

"Now I'm banging on the door of an angel, the end of fear is where we begin, the moment we decided to let love in." Ray stopped singing when he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

After quickly putting his guitar back in the case, Ray walked across the apartment and pulled the door open just as Neela was turning the knob.

"Hi." Neela was surprised. She wasn't expecting Ray to be waiting for her like that. "Were you waiting for me?"

"No, actually, I was just on my way out to meet my other girlfriend." He smirked.

"Oh, okay. Well, in that case, I'm just going to watch some TV then." She dropped her bag in the doorway, stepped out of her shoes and flopped down on her stomach onto the couch.

"Neelaaa…" Ray whined. "That was my seat."

"Too bad, I'm sure you're other girlfriend has room on her couch." She laughed, rolling onto her back and propping herself up on her elbows. "I'm hungry. Did you order anything?"

"I was going to order pizza but I wasn't sure if you wanted that or Chinese." Ray lifted Neela's legs up and slid underneath them. "It is only five, you know."

"I know, but I haven't eaten since… I don't remember," Neela moved her elbows and fell back. "You're right, if I eat now, I'll just end up hungry later on. Let's wait a little while."

"You're actually listening to me?" Ray faked shocked.

"Enjoy it, it won't happen again. I need to shower." Neela said as she sat up but fell forward. "Oops, too fast."

Ray just shook his head. He put his arms around Neela's waist and pulled her closer, her legs still across his lap. "You're right. You do kind of stink."

Neela pulled back and playfully slapped him. "Ray!"

"You brought that one on yourself." He laughed. "Now, go. I want to watch that movie. I'll order food in like fifteen minutes or so, how's that?"

"Sounds good."

"Chinese or pizza?"

"Hmm… Chinese." Neela responded.

"Okay, I'll do that. Go shower." He kissed her softly before letting her crawl off the couch.

Pulling out her elastic as she walked down the hall, she shook her head and let her hair fall in every which direction.

"Hey, Ray?" She called from her bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"Is my laundry out there still?"

"Um…" He scanned the living room for her peach colored basket before spotting it under the window. He grabbed it and carried it to down to Neela's room. "Yeah, it was out there."

"Thanks." She replied as he placed the basket on her bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Twenty-five minutes later, Ray heard the shower shut off and heard Neela groan.

"Raaaay!! I forgot a towel!"

"What? I can't hear youuu!" Ray teased.

"Ray! I'm freezing!"

Laughing to himself, Ray grabbed a towel and walked up to the bathroom door. He paused for a minute to think. Should he knock? Should he just open the door?

Luckily, Neela answered for him when she opened the door a crack and stuck her arm out. "Please?"

Ray held the towel out, inches away from her hand.

"Raay." Neela whined as he pulled the towel further away every time she reached for it. "I'm cooold."

Finally giving in, Ray placed the towel in her hand and watched her pull her arm back quickly. Before he had a chance to walk away, the door opened and Neela walked out, wrapped in just the towel, her wet hair falling over her shoulders.

Not realizing that Ray was still standing there, Neela walked right into him, surprising herself.

"Sorry." They said at the same time.

"I didn't know you were still standing there." Neela blushed.

"Yeah, I -." Ray didn't know what to say.

There was an awkward silence, as neither of them knew exactly what to do.

"Um, Ray? Can – could I get by?" Neela smiled.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, sorry." Ray moved to his left slightly so Neela could get by.

Once Neela was back in her room, Ray sighed and walked back out to the living room.

"_Way to go, Ray. Let's try to be a little more awkward next time."_

He sat back down on the couch and flipped on the TV.

"Did you order the food?" Neela asked, sitting down next to him. Dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and one of his t-shirts, she ran her hand through her still wet hair and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah. It should be here in fifteen minutes." He replied, absentmindedly playing with her fingers. "Poker's on."

"Oh, yay." Neela loved watching Celebrity Poker and Ray had to admit that it was funny to watch her yell at the players when they made stupid moves.

It wasn't long before they had finished eating their Chinese and were settling down to watch 'The Descent'.

Ray was lying on his side, resting his head on a pillow that was leaning against the armrest.

Neela grabbed a light blue blanket from another chair and quickly hit the play button before settling onto the couch with her. She laid down with her back against his chest and rested her head on his arm, just under his chin.

"So, how frightening is this gunna be?" She asked, snuggling up closer to him and pulling the blanket up to her chin at the same time.

"I'm not sure. Brett said it was really good though." Ray replied. He felt her tense up and he slipped his arm around her waist, placing his hand under her shirt on her bare stomach. "We can shut it off whenever you want."

There was a moment of silence as the movie started up.

Suddenly, Neela looked up over her shoulder at Ray. "Ray?"

Ray looked down at his girlfriend. "Yeah?"

She paused for a minute before responding. "Thanks." And with that, she shifted back to her original position to watch the movie.

It wasn't long before the movie started getting scary.

"Neela?" Ray looked down. She had rolled over and had buried her face in Ray's chest. "You okay?"

Neela blushed and looked up. "It's frightening."

Ray just smiled and pulled her close. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and draped the other her, placing his hand on her back, just about her waistline.

"Want me to shut it off?" He absentmindedly played with the back of her elastic waistband shorts, twirling it between his fingers. "Cause I can."

"No, it's okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I just, I mean, do you mind if I… just stay here while you finish it?" Neela whispered tiredly.

"Of course not. You don't need to ask." Ray told her and that was the end of the conversation.

Within minutes, Ray felt her breathing slow down and knew she was asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The next morning when Ray woke up, his left arm was asleep, but he didn't want to move. Neela was still sound asleep, having not moved at all. He sighed lightly and kissed the top of her head. Her hair still smelled of her floral shampoo from her shower the night before. _"When did the world get so perfect?"_

Neela shifted next to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Mmm." She moaned without opening her eyes. "Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have you been awake?"

"Not long at all."

"Is it breakfast time?"

Ray laughed. "Sure. You want just cereal or want me to whip up some eggs?"

"Cereal's fine." Neela finally opened her eyes but didn't move. It felt so right to be in Ray's arms; she felt safe.

"Okay, you stay here." Ray reluctantly sat up and crawled off the couch, leaving Neela under the blanket. "I'll be back in a minute."

Neela sighed. "Are you off today?"

"No, I'm on five to two, unfortunately. You?" He said walking back over to the couch with two bowls of cereal.

"One to midnight." Neela sat up, running her hand through her messy hair before accepting the bowl. "Thanks. What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

Neela made a face. "I slept late. Was the movie good?"

"Yeah, scary." Ray replied, "I guess Brett was right for once. Hey, I have tomorrow off. I was thinking about going to this new club, it's called The Complex. You interested? I was gunna see if Abby and Luka wanted to go too."

"Um, sure." Neela nodded. "I'll talk to Abby when I go in. We work the same shift."

Ray nodded. "Want some more?"

Neela looked down at her empty cereal bowl before shaking her head. "I need to go wash up before I leave."

Smiling, Ray leaned over and let his lips brush hers. "You have plenty of time."

Neela fell back onto the couch, dropping her bowl on the rug on the way, Ray following her actions. The kiss grew deeper and deeper as Ray slid his hands under her shirt. He felt Neela tense up and started to pull away.

"Neela?" His hazel eyes full of concern.

Neela nodded. "It's okay." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Ray hesitated, to be sure, but then covered her mouth with his. It wasn't long before both their shirts found their way to the floor. After a few minutes, Ray started getting antsy and reached for the waistband of Neela's shorts.

"Mmm, Ray…" Neela pulled away. "I can't… not that, not now."

"What?" Ray was confused. "I thought…?"

"Can we just go… I don't know, step by step, I guess?"

"Yeah, sure, Neela, we don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with." Ray told her.

"I'm sorry to put you through this, but I just don't want to regret going through this too fast."

"It's all right, Neel. We'll go at your speed. You just let me know." He kissed her nose lightly. "You better get ready for work. You've only got forty-five minutes."

"Bloody hell." Neela muttered, scrambling off the couch and into the bathroom to quickly wash up.

After a minute, Ray heard the water turn off and Neela run down the hall to her bedroom.

"Shit, Ray! Where are my sneakers?" Obviously flustered, Neela came out of her room, dressed in blue scrubs.

"By the door." He replied with a laugh.

"Thanks." She quickly slid them on, pulled her coat on, and sat down on the couch. "Sorry to rush out." She kissed him quickly and stood back up. "I'll see you at five." And with that, she ran out the door and to the El stop.

Ray just shook his head and laughed. _"What a crazy girl."_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"Hey Abby, what are you up to tomorrow night?" Neela asked, walking into the doctor's lounge.

"Nothing, I'll probably just stay home. Why?" Abby replied, handing her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks. Ray brought up the idea of checking out this new club, since we're both off. I thought maybe you guys would wanna go?"

"Sounds good to me. I think Luka may be working but I'm sure I can find someone else to come." Abby smiled.

"As long as it isn't Morris." Neela finished off her coffee and tossed her cup in the trash. "Time to start."

"Eww, definitely not Morris." She laughed as they walked out the door to the admit desk.

A few hours later, Neela was getting ready to go upstairs to get Abby for dinner.

"Hey, Pratt? You want anything from Ike's? Abby and I are heading over there in a minute." She asked the man as he passed her in front of the elevator.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." Pratt replied, walking backwards towards the admit desk.

Neela nodded and turned around to see the elevator doors open. She walked in, picked the floor, and stepped backwards.

"Hey Mayday."

"Oh my –. Tony, you scared me." Neela hadn't even realized that Paramedic Tony Gates was in the elevator with her.

"You on dinner?" He asked casually moving closer to her.

Neela gave him a weird look. "Yeah, I'm on my way up to meet Abby."

"I think I have a better idea." He told her, hitting a button on the side of the elevator wall.

"Tony? What's going on?" Neela tried to back up further into the corner.

"I've been thinking about us for a while now." Tony started, now standing only a few inches away from her.

"There is no us anymore. It's over. I'm with Ray now." Neela was starting to get scared. She felt the elevator stop and realized they were at the top floor. _"He must have skipped my floor."_

"Ray? He's got nothing on me. I can give you so much more than him."

Without warning, Tony fiercely planted his lips on her. Neela tried to fight him but his hold on her was too tight. When she felt his hands reach for the bottom of her shirt, she started panicking and did the only thing she could think of. She brought her knee up hard, causing Tony to break the kiss and stumble backwards in pain.

"Bitch!"

Neela wasted no time and hit the door open button. She took off down the hall towards the stairwell, tears pouring down her face.

She lost count of how many flights of stairs she had run down and when she stopped, she realized that she was on the third floor. _"Abby. Abby is in X-Ray. That's this floor." _She opened the door and saw Abby standing at a desk, filling out some paperwork.

Hearing the door slam open, Abby looked up. Realizing it was Neela; she dropped her pen and ran over to her friend.

"Neela? What happened?"

Sobbing, Neela fell into Abby's arms.

"It was Tony. He, he… the elevator… can we just go? I can't be here right now, Abby." Neela stammered.

"Sure. C'mon." Abby held the girl in her arms and led her down the stairwell. She didn't know what happened but she knew it happened in the elevator, so she decided to steer clear of that.

When they reached the first floor, Abby opened the door but Neela froze.

"I can't go in there. I can't let them see me like this. What am I going to tell Luka?" Neela rambled.

"Neela, breathe. The doctor's lounge is right across the hallway. We'll walk fast." Abby reassured her.

Neela took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

Abby stuck her head out, looked both ways, and stepped back. "We're good. Come on."

The two girls quickly walked out of the stairwell and into the doctor's lounge. Abby led Neela over to the couch and sat her down.

"Okay, sit here. I'll go talk to Luka." Abby told her and walked out of the lounge.

Sighing, Neela leaned back into the couch.

"Neela." A voice came from next to the lockers.

Recognizing the voice, Neela jumped up and backed away. "Tony. Please, just leave me alone."

"No, Neela, we need to talk." Tony stepped forward towards the frightened girl. "I'm sorry about what happened in the elevator, but I needed you to understand how I feel."

"Tony…" Neela pleaded, backing up against the wall.

"Neela, I love you," He stated bluntly, "and I know you feel the same way."

"No, Tony, I don't. I love Ray." Neela tried to stay strong but she could feel the tears forming.

Just like in the elevator, Tony advanced on Neela and went in for another kiss.

"Tony! Stop!" Neela screamed, but, of course, he didn't listen.

Outside at the admit desk, Abby was waiting for Luka, who was just finishing up with a patient in exam one, when she heard Neela scream.

"Luka!" She yelled before taking off down the hall.

Slamming the door open, the sight before her infuriated Abby. Luka had caught up and was right behind her.

Tony had managed to get Neela onto the couch and was on top of the still fighting girl.

"Get off her!" Abby dove onto Tony, pulling him off of Neela and shoved him into the lockers. She pulled Neela into her arms, attempting to calm her down.

"Gates, you need to leave now." Luka said sternly.

"Luka…" Tony started. "I didn't do anything. That… slut –." He was cut off by when Luka's fist connected with his jaw.

"Out, Gates." Luka repeated. "You're suspended."

Scowling and holding his bleeding jaw, Tony left the lounge, leaving just the three of them there.

"Neela? Are you okay?" Luka knelt down in front of her.

Neela didn't respond. She just sniffled and wiped at her nose.

"Can I take her home?" Abby asked, even though she already knew the answer. "Come on, Neela."

Luka opened Neela's locker and pulled out her belongings. After helping the still shaken girl into her coat, he handed her bag to Abby.

"Take care of her, Abby. Don't worry about the rest of your shifts."

"Thanks, Luka." Abby said, pulling her coat on. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Luka gently before escorting Neela out of the lounge.

They stepped out into the ambulance bay. It was only four thirty but the days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

"Ray's probably on his way in. You wanna go home or come hang at my place for a while?"

Neela shrugged, not giving an answer.

"We'll go back to my place, but Neela, you need to talk to me, okay?" Abby told her, walking up the stairs to the El stop.

Neela just nodded, wiping away some stray tears.

"It's gunna be okay, Neel. I promise." Abby took her hand in hers and they climbed on the train.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

As the two girls were climbing off the train, Ray was walking through the doors of the ER.

"Hey, Pratt, Dr. Kovac." Ray greeted.

"Ray? What are you doing here?" Luka asked, surprised at his arrival.

"Um… I work here?" Ray offered.

"No, well, yeah. Ray, did you talk to Neela?"

"Nope, that was actually my next question. Is she around?" Ray hadn't seemed to notice everyone's somber faces.

Luka sighed. "Ray, I need you to stay calm."

"Luka? What's going on? Where's Neela? And Abby? What happened?" Ray interrupted.

"There was an incident, well, two incidents. I had Abby take Neela home after it."

"What?" Ray asked in disbelief, anger inside him starting to grow.

"I need you to stay here for an hour, Ray. I called the temp agency and they're sending a few people over to cover for the three of you, but they won't be here for a little while. I know you want to get home to Neela but I think doing that would just make matters worse, especially for her. She needs to talk everything out with Abby or Sam first." Luka told him.

"Luka, I understand but what happened? I need to know." Ray stated sternly.

"It was Gates. Neela was on her way upstairs to X-Ray to get Abby for dinner. I don't know exactly what happened but I do know that something happened in that elevator because when Neela finally found Abby, she was hysterical. So, Abby brought her to the lounge to gather her things before they left. Abby left Neela in there so she could come explain the situation to me, but I was with a patient. As I was leaving the exam room, I heard Abby yell my name and take off running." He started to explain.

"I'm going to kill him." Ray's anger was quite visible now.

"No, Ray, wait. I suspended Tony after I saw him in the lounge with Neela. I do not think he would dear to show his face here again."

"Luka…"

Luka put up his hand to cut him off. "I know how upsetting it is. If it had been Abby, I'm sure I'd be ready to kill the bastard too, but that will only make matters worse right now. You need to be there for Neela. She was pretty shaken up about the whole thing. I was about to call Sam and have her head to Abby's, since I know they're close. I figured Neela would talk to her. I may not be a psychiatrist, Ray, but I do know that after an encounter like this, opening up to another man, whether it's you or not, will be hard for her."

"I can't just not be there, Luka." Ray shook his head, running his hand through his hair.

"I know, Ray. That's why I want you to stay her for a while and give her some time to calm down. She's with Abby and you know how Abby feels about her. She'd do anything to protect Neela." He reminded him.

Ray sighed. "Thanks, Luka. I just wish I could be there, holding her in my arms. I want her to know that she is safe with me."

"She knows, Ray, trust me. She knows."

With that, Ray walked off towards the lounge while Luka went to call Sam.

It wasn't long before the temps arrived at the hospital and Ray was free to go. He knew he shouldn't go find Gates, but he just had to. He hate hurt the woman he loved. It was his right to hurt Gates. Or so he believed.

Ray jumped off the El and ran up the stairs to Tony's apartment. When he reached the door, he pounded on it with all his might, wishing it were Gates' face. It didn't take Gates too long to open the door and when he did, obviously drunk out of his mind, Ray didn't hesitate. His fist connected with Gates face, in the same spot Luka had hit earlier, sending him to the floor.

"Don't ever come near her again, Gates. If I ever see your face in that hospital, you will regret ever entering the medical field. I will not hesitate to come after you, if I even hear that you have attempted to talk Neela." Ray told him. "And if you aren't scared of me, I can guarantee you will have to deal with, not only Abby, which is scary enough but Luka, Pratt and even Sam, too." And with that, Ray walked away angrily, leaving Gates on the ground, clutching his again bleeding jaw.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Back at Abby's apartment, Neela was just getting out of the shower. Wrapped in a towel, Neela wandered out into the living room.

"Um, Abby?"

Abby turned from her position on her couch. "Oh, here. You can wear these. I meant to give them to you before." She accepted the clothes and headed back to the bathroom.

A minute later, she came back out, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top.

"Thanks, Abby." She whispered, sitting down on the couch next to her.

"No problem, honey." Abby pulled her into her arms. "Sam's on her way over. Luka called her."

Neela just sniffled in response.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, Neela, but it isn't healthy to hold everything in. We can wait until Sam gets here so you don't have to explain it twice, but I want you to know that Ray is ready to murder Gates. You're going to have to tell him what happened. He's giving you space, until you're ready, but he wants you to talk to someone."

"I know, Abby, I know. It's just hard. I never want to go through something like that again, but if I open up and talk about it, I'll just be reliving it." Neela told her.

"Sometimes reliving it is just the way to make it go away, honey." Abby stated, brushing away a stray tear on Neela's cheek. She was fighting to hold back her own tears. She knew she wouldn't be any help to Neela if she started crying, too.

Neela didn't say anything and the two just sat there in silence, Abby holding onto the girl for dear life.

Their silence was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by Sam sticking her head into the apartment. "Can I come in?"

Abby just nodded and Sam walked in, dropping her coat and bag on a chair and sitting down next to Neela.

"Hey, sweetie." She said, putting a hand on her back. "You okay?"

Neela sat up, sniffling. She tried to force a smile but more tears started falling instead. Sam pulled the girl into her arms, feeling her heart break.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." She tried to comfort Neela. "We're here. We're not gunna let anything happen."

"It's just frightening to think about it. I mean, Luka did suspend him, but what's there to stop him from coming here?" Neela pointed out.

"Honestly, Neela. I think he'd be stupid to even try to come near you again." Abby told her. "I'll be surprised if he comes back to the hospital. He knows everyone wants to murder him now."

Neela just shrugged. "I suppose…"

"Neela, what exactly happened?" Sam asked bluntly. "I mean, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine."

"No, you're right. I need to talk to somebody. As much as I just want to forget about it, I can't do that unless I admit that it actually happened. So, here goes." Neela struggled with her words. "I was on my way upstairs to X-Ray to get Abby for dinner when…"


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: So, I decided to finish up this story. It was frustrating me because I didn't know how to end it. I did the best I could. Almost all of the stories I've ever written don't have endings. It's a skill I've yet to learn. I thought this one would be different, but it didn't turn out that way. So, I think I'm going to stick to just reading the stories written by others. Maybe I'll try again sometime, but for now, here's the ending. Sorry it isn't very good.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Just as Neela finished explaining exactly what had happened to Sam and Abby, there was a knock on the door. Neela stood up, knowing whom it was. She opened the door to find a worried looking Ray.

"Neela, are you okay? I tried to come earlier but Luka needed me to stay until the temps got there and -." Ray was cut off when Neela stepped up onto her tiptoes and kissed him.

"It's okay, Ray." She told him. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Ray questioned.

"Yeah, I am. Let's go home." Neela turned around to her friends, hugging each of them before gathering her stuff. "Thanks for everything. I'll call you both tomorrow."

"You better." Abby replied, giving her an 'Are you sure?' look.

Neela smiled. "I will, and yes, I'm sure."

Feeling Ray take her hand, she followed him out the door the apartment.

"Do you think she's really okay?" Sam asked, sitting back down on the couch.

"Yeah, actually… for once, I think she is." Abby replied, staring at the door for a minute before sitting down next to Sam.

"I'm happy for her. Her and Ray belong together. He is exactly what she needed." Sam said, pulling her feet up underneath her.

Abby just nodded in agreement. "And she is exactly what he needed."

Back at their apartment, Ray and Neela were cuddled together on the couch. Ray had turned Celebrity Poker on, but neither of them were paying much attention to it.

"Ray?" Neela sat up suddenly. "I…"

"What's wrong?" Ray asked worriedly.

"Today really put things into perspective for me. When I was in that elevator, and the lounge, I was honestly more scared than I'd ever been in my life. It might seem silly, but it made me realize that I need to cherish every moment I have. I'd never see Tony like that before, I really thought he was going to try to…" Neela trailed off.

"He didn't, did he?"

"No! No, I was lucky." Neela responded. "That's just it though. What if he had? In one way, I wish he had. It would have saved me the trouble of having to go through a 'first time' and everything, but at the same time, I couldn't imagine how horrifying it would have been."

Ray just looked confused.

"I'm not doing a good job of getting my point across, am I?" Neela smiled. "Ray… I love you."

"Neela…"

"Wait." Neela cut him off. "I love you, Ray, and I'm ready. I'm ready to give you that love."

"Neela… are you sure?" Ray asked. "Cause I don't want you to feel like you have to do this if you aren't."

"I'm sure, Ray." Neela stood up slowly, Ray following her.

"I love you, Neela." He said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply.

Without breaking the kiss, Ray picked Neela up and carried her to his bedroom.

"_**You're the only one I ever believed in,**_

_**The answer that could never be found,**_

_**The moment you decided to let love in.**_

_**Now I'm banging on the door of an angel,**_

_**The end of fear is where we begin,**_

_**The moment we decided to let love in."**_


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The next morning when Neela awoke in Ray's arms, she found him staring at her.

"What?" She smiled tiredly.

"Nothing, just wondering when my life got so perfect." Ray replied, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ray." Neela said. ""Last night was… perfect. Thank you for not running away when I told you."

"I would never run from you, Neel, I'm glad you told me. You're right, last night was amazing. You were amazing." He smiled. "Hanging around Abby seemed to pay off, huh?"

"Ray!" Neela laughed, smacking his arm playfully.

"Uh huh, remind me to thank her tonight." Ray nodded. "She is coming, right?"

"Yeah, Luka's working but I think she's gunna find someone else to come."

"Okay, hey, you think Sam and Ben would wanna come?"

"I think they're working late, but I'll call Sam in a little while just to check." Neela sat up and crawled off the bed, pulling the sheet with her. "I'm going to shower. Care to join?"

Ray wasted no time, springing out of the bed and following her to the bathroom.

"I'm so happy for you, Neela." Abby whispered, linking her arm through Neela's.

The two girls and Ray were walking through the ambulance bay towards the ER. Luka was stuck working but Pratt had agreed to come along so Abby wouldn't be "third wheelin'" it. They headed toward the admit desk where Pratt was standing, talking to Morris.

Ray saw Morris' mouth drop over Pratt's shoulder and laughed.

"Rasogtra, Lockhart, you look..." Morris was at a loss for words, causing Pratt to turn around.

"Wow…" Was all he could say.

Neela was dressed in a very short black skirt and a hot pink halter with black open toe heels; her naturally straight hair was slightly curled and fell just below her shoulders. Abby had gone with a pair of black dress pants and a white tube top with black shoes similar to Neela's.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Ray laughed, putting his hands on Neela's waist. He had chosen to wear a pair of khaki-colored cargo pants and a simple black polo.

"Yeah, yeah, you clean up well, too, Barnett." Pratt laughed. "Are we heading out?"

"Soon as you're ready." Abby said.

"Well, then let's go. Later, Morris."

"I don't dance, Abbyyy." Neela whined as Abby dragged the girl out onto the dance floor.

"Tonight you do." Abby stated. "We're celebrating you-know-what. Come on, you guys!"

Laughing, Ray and Pratt joined the girls on the dance floor.

"Come on, Neela. We aren't leaving until you dance." Abby smirked. She had her back up against Pratt's chest, moving her hips with the music as the tempo sped up.

"Abby…" She shook her head.

"You can't be worse than Pratt." Abby pointed over her shoulder.

"I'm hurt, Abby." Pratt replied with a laugh.

"She's got a point, you know." Ray whispered in her ear, putting his hands on her hips. "Besides, you already know how good I am with first-timers."

"Ray!" Neela squealed, pretending to pout.

"Not working." He replied in a singsong voice.

Sighing, Neela finally gave in, leaning back against Ray and allowing herself to move with the music.

"Thank you!" Abby exclaimed with a laugh.

Hours later, the four headed out onto the cold street.

"I'm exhausted." Neela announced.

"I don't doubt it, Neel. I don't know where you came up with that ridiculous idea that you couldn't dance." Abby told her.

Neela shrugged. "I can't."

"Are you serious? Did you not see all the guys staring at you?" Abby asked.

"No, they were?"

"I know I was." Pratt admitted. "You better hang onto this one, Barnett. Wouldn't want any other fellas getting her. As for you, Lockhart, are you sure you don't have any single sisters that you failed to mention?"

"No, just me, one of a kind." Abby laughed.

"Damn…" He shook his head.

"You guys wanna come back to our place for a drink?" Ray offered.

"Sounds good, man." Pratt said, slinging his arm around Abby's shoulders. "You game?"

"Sure." Abby replied.

"Well, let's go then." Ray took Neela's hand in his and together they headed off towards the El stop to enjoy the rest of their night.

AN: Well, per request, here is an epilogue to the story. I know the Abby/Pratt pairing seems a little weird, but I'm really not that big a fan of Luka/Abby and I couldn't very well bring Carter back into this mess. So, I decided on Pratt. Ha, anyways, I'm considering writing a sequel or maybe just another story where Tony comes back, etc. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for everyone who read this. Piper Elizabeth, Strizzy, YOUPIN, criss128, Amythest Girl, Naomi P, and lubyforeverx711. I appreciated getting every single review!

**AN: 1/31/07 - Sorry, guys. I didn't really update this, I somehow accidentally deleted it. So, I had to reupload everything. I think I added one new line in chapter 7 but that's it. I did, however, decide to write another story following this one. I'll try to get it up asap.**


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